Om El Donia, the mother of the world

09/18/2012

An Egyptian, one to be proud of

I grew up in an era when Egyptian ambassadors were usually retired
army officers, sacked from the army and still
compensated by being assigned to ambassadors’ posts. These men were
often clueless as far as diplomacy and protocol were concerned. His Excellency,
the guest of honour, sat at events, hardly opened his mouth or mingled and
remained aloof and distant. Simultaneously, the embassy was managed like a bureaucratic
Egyptian office, the consulate tedious and maddening.

So when I was told that the Egyptian ambassador to Canada
was making a visit to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British
Columbia, I was, at first, reluctant to attend. However, because I truly wanted
to know his views on the current situation in Egypt, l went. I must admit I was
pleasantly surprised.

Ambassador Waeel Aboul Elmagd arrived on time, shook hands
and introduced himself by name to all attendees standing close by, was well
dressed, and seemed down to earth and cordial. He also spoke the English
language fluently and eloquently, so eloquently that he was never short of
words or stammered to find a phrase. He was also well informed, candid,
responsive and persuasive all in one.

But most of all, the ambassador had an encouraging demeanor
about him. He remained positive even when he was talking about the challenges
befalling Egypt. He was also genuinely keen on promoting Egypt—no fake
diplomacy here; he sees a bright future and encourages Egyptians abroad to play
a role in that future.

Ambassador Aboul Elmagd’s topic was “The Democratic Transition
in Egypt.” He discussed the revolution's achievemet, the existing myths, and the
challenges facing Egypt. His talk was followed by an array of questions from
the attendees.

He started off by underlining the revolution's success, a momentous event in the
history of Egypt. He challenged the naysayers who argue that the revolution has
not achieved anything and who say that things were better under the old regime.
He did this by citing the direct results from the revolution; namely, the
heightened level of accountability of the current—and any future—president of
Egypt; the fact that the rampant corruption, which existed previously, has been
curtailed; the end of the impunity enjoyed by the police in dealing with citizens,
and the settling of the relations between the first democratically elected
civilian president and the military.

The two myths he focused on were, one, Islamizing Egypt, and
two, the annulment of the Camp David Agreement. He refuted both myths giving
valid and convincing explanations of why such myths would not be realities.

He also acknowledged the numerous challenges, which continue to
confront Egypt's transition. Some of the conceptual challenges include the
urgent need to define the role of religion in public life, combating the
rampant absolutism in public discourse, “my choice is the best,” which has
deepened the rift among the political players and among Egyptians, too; and the
creeping cynicism in Egyptian youth, who once again assume their efforts would be wasted.

Among the more tangible challenges, he alluded to the economicones: lack of foreign
direct investment, and drop in tourism; and the security challenge—increased lawlessness and disregard of
the law, as well as the lack of preparedness and training of the police itself;
as the most pressing.

Then the ambassador took questions from the floor. He
eradicated the worries of the two Israeli attendees without once belittling
from the Palestinian cause or Egypt’s right. At the end, the Israeli woman who
fumbled to choose her words without coming across as disrespectful, followed
the ambassador outside, walked up to him, shook his hand, and told him how much
she enjoyed his talk and was encouraged by his explanations.

Two Egyptian Canadian students seemed worried about women’s
and Coptic rights; he was clear that these are areas, too, needed extensive
work, but I believe by the end of his response he had managed to encourage them
both to return to Egypt and work hard on improving women’s status there.

As much as I was gratified throughout the talk, I grappled with
one aspect. Though this should’ve been a win-win situation, I don’t think Egyptians,
in general, or UBC students, in particular, got enough out of it. The event was
not publicized or promoted well, the venue inappropriate; I’d have liked to see
hundreds of political science, journalism, and communication students enjoy the
ambassador’s lecture—he would’ve gained their approval ever so quickly. Only
then would have both Egypt and UBC students truly gained.

I’m blogging about the ambassador’s visit to UBC because he
solidified a new impression within me: not all Egyptian government officials
are bureaucrats, nonchalant and not caring, but in fact many are
passionate about promoting Egypt. I came out of the talk believing in the role
that a government official can play once more.

I’m sure many similar officials exist, but it is always good
to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Ambassador Aboul Magd for returning
my trust. Thank you for making me see a better tomorrow for Egypt.